


Two Guardians Walk Into a Bar

by JenCforCarolina



Category: Destiny (Video Game)
Genre: AUBURN, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-21
Updated: 2017-05-21
Packaged: 2018-11-03 08:57:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10963935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JenCforCarolina/pseuds/JenCforCarolina
Summary: Cayde’s a smart ass, but if you listen carefully you can learn a thing or two from the snark.Also on Tumblr





	Two Guardians Walk Into a Bar

Auburn wasn’t a drinker, really, not alone, not outside of social nights. But she’d discovered once that as well as being a half decent bar, this particular hole in the wall had an unrivaled green tea, lemonade, and peach brew. She was stewing over it, allowing herself for once to let down the smile, to be moody and just sip something sweet.

Another patron came in the door, boots clacking. It formed something bright on her periphery, another Guardian. A Warlock would probably have felt them coming blocks away. She glanced towards the newcomer as they approached the bar, took in an exo and did a double take. 

“Cayde?” Her eyebrows skyrocketed in disbelief, and she cocked her head, giving him a long suspicious glance. 

He swiveled towards the attention, throat lights bright and jaw slightly unhinged, a winning Exo smile. “Guardian? Ah! I know you! You’ve got that uh, that catty Warlock.” He waved a finger as if it helped him remember. “The one trying to take my place at the top of Ikora’s “Top Ten Exasperating Exos” list.”

“You remember me.” She deadpanned, a tone faintly teasing. “Touched.”

“Yes, yes, I’m kidding.” Hands up as though he was threatened. “I remember. Lucky you too, I got enough Hunters to keep an eye out for, you’re one of the few Titans I keep up here.” He tapped the side of his skullcase while spinning around the stool beside her, straddling it backwards with his arms up on the seatback.

“Honored.” She drawled, watching him with a side eye while she took a sip of her glass. “You get off early or something? It’s hardly evening.”

“Ahhh, Ikora’s in the lower levels at a secret occult meeting with Eris and some Warlocks.” He gestured back toward the tower. “And Zavala’s meeting with some wall maintenance people, I guess they want his approval on some thing or another.” He waved in the other direction. “Soooo I figured I’d sneak off, have a drink.” Conspiratorially, he leaned in and muttered, “I’m not here, you didn’t see me, I was checking on shipments in the hangar. Amanda will vouch for me.”  
She chuckled, nodded. “But really, here?” A perfectly cocked eyebrow made Cayde squirm.

“Stop! That it’s an Ikora look. Ugh.” He shivered perceptibly, a whir coming from his vibrating joints. “I’m doing a thing this year, different bar every day, gonna test every joint in the City.”

“There’s more than three hundred bars around. That’s going to keep you busy longer than a year.”

“I know.” He whined. “And I keep going back to this spicy ramen place…” Auburn nodded knowingly. Everyone was aware of the ramen place. It was terrible, legendarily so, except for those who could handle a full cup of chili powder on a spoonful of noodle. She was pretty sure Cayde just professed his love to make the shopkeeper feel better. Or maybe to convince unsuspecting kinderguardians to try it, and suffer. Sick bastard.

“What’s this place got anyway?” He gestured with a wrist to her drink. “Good stuff?”

“It’s four in the afternoon.” She said impassively. “It’s just tea. What’s it to you anyway? Don’t you drink coolant or something?”

He slapped a hand noisily over his breastplate. “I’m hurt. Wounded. And they let you to mentor an Exo?”

“She’s never been to a bar!”

“And they let you mentor _anyone?!_ ” He huffed and shook his head, gesturing to the bartender with two fingers and giving his order through a fake cough, fist in front of his mouth. “Ah, coolant please.”

Auburn let out a single chuckle, stirring the ice in her glass. The conversation lapsed into silence. 

The Hunter Vanguard noticed. “Aren’t you ah… one of those cheerful ones?” Cayde asked tactlessly. She gave him a questioning glance. He shrugged. “You’re usually a smiler, right?”

“Ahm. I suppose.” She relented, then skeptically added. “Didn’t you say last week to someone that you can’t read organics?”

“I was avoiding further conversation that time.” He said dismissively. “You’re in a bar, alone, staring at a glass, not even drinking. You’re moping.”

“Yep. Top tier super sleuth you are.” Auburn took a sip of her tea pointedly.

“I mean, I’m an expert moper myself, know the signs. I’m sure to anyone else you are the epitome of sunshine and joy right now.” His glass arrived, and he took it up absently with his free hand, the other gesturing as he spoke. 

“Wow Cayde, is there nothing you don’t excel at?” She feigned admiration with the flattest of eyebrows.

“I know, I know. I’m truly remarkable. Thank you for noticing.” He threw back some of the glowing liquid, same color as his lights. “So, need a hand?”

“With moping?” She asked, incredulous. He waved his hand as if to say ‘why not?’ “Isn’t that typically, a personal endeavor?”

“A conversation rarely is.” He added hastily. “Unless you’re a bit nuts. Which I suppose by nature we all are. A bit. Sorry I’m losing my point here.” 

“I got it.” She smiled, hollow, bottom half her face only. Cayde still made a pleased noise, perhaps he hadn’t noticed the nuance. She gave it a moment’s thought, swishing the ice until she caught Cayde’s pointed glance. No avoiding this then.

“I haven’t lost anyone.” She admitted. “No one I loved. Never watched a stranger’s Ghost crushed in front of my eyes either. It’s been eight years. I feel like I’m due.”

Cayde hummed, a purely Exo sort of hum. She thought of Selene and was comforted, faintly, before her fears reminded her that her second was another on the list of loves that could be lost.

“That’ll always be there.” He said sagely. “No matter how many you do lose. Trust me. _I’m_ over a hundred.” She felt guilty immediately. It had only been a couple months since Tannik’s cloak had shown up in the Vanguard hall.

“What do you do about it?” She asked quietly. Cayde snorted.

“For organics? Simple.” He raised his glass in her direction.

She raised an eyebrow at the glowing teal liquid. “That gonna make me sick?”

“Oh, definitely.” He pulled it back, a bit of the contents splashing. “It was just a gesture.”

She snorted in reply, but felt herself comforted anyway. “Thanks.” She set her own glass down and clasped her hands, rubbing her thumb around her left palm, her self-conscious tick. “What do _you_ do about it?”

Cayde paused, glass partway up to his face. He tapped his fingers on the outside of the glass and set it down. “You know. Ikora is probably done with that meeting now. Or soon. Anyway. She’s gonna be _pissed_ if she finds I snuck off. Yep.” He quickly produced some glimmer from a pouch, enough for both his drink and Auburn’s own.

“Wasting some of your precious loot on me?” She said snidely.

“I feel like it’s a worthy investment.” He gave her a pat on the shoulder. “Good talk Guardian. Good talk.” He pointed at the glimmer. “Pay me back sometime, somehow.”

Auburn shook her head with a grin, put her cheek in one hand and drummed her fingers on the countertop with the other. Cayde stood and spun his chair back around before making his way out.

“Tell you what.” She called after. “If I figure out how to deal with these emotion things. I’ll let you know, okay?”

“Ha. Sure Guardian, sure.” He pointed at her, thumb cocked like holding a hand canon, jogging backwards through and expertly dodging the room’s tables. “I’ll hold you to it.”

She turned back to her half full glass of tea, shaking her head. But as she sat and sipped she realized there was a little less weight, a little bit of a tug of a lingering smile. And maybe there wasn’t much she could discover that Cayde hadn’t already.


End file.
